Authors' Notes: Well, if you've gotten this far, thanks for sticking with the story! The next stories promise to be even crazier, more...ahem...interesting...hopefully with more involvement with the real Naruto characters...Whenever we decide to post them.

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"Jiyou and Naruto sittin' in a tree..."

OH MY GOSH! Will he EVER stop? Why is he following me? And besides...Naruto doesn't usually climb trees. But I know someone who does...

Jiyou continued to walk and Maro continued to taunt her. That's IT! She stopped suddenly and turned on him. "I've had it with your immature teasing!" she screamed.

Idea! Putting on a whining act, Jiyou began to sob, "Why can't you just accept our relationship?"

She turned and ran, laughing to herself. It took a moment for Maro to understand what Jiyou had said. She does like Naruto? This is tooo good!

As planned, he began to chase after Jiyou, who was out of sight by now. Jiyou stepped behind a corner, into an alleyway. As soon as she heard him coming, she sank into the ground. Hahaha! I'll get him good! Hearing footsteps above her, she reached up and pulled someone under using the Inner Decapitation Jutsu.

"Aha! I got you Maro!" But she looked down and screamed, "You're not Maro! I am sooo sorry!"

Because it was Gaara's head sticking out of the ground, green eyes glaring up at her.

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Maro, never good at tracking people, had turned the opposite direction from Jiyou, still running, wondering where his cousin could have gone when SMACK! He slammed into Akemi from behind. Needless to say he interrupted her thinking process. Catching her balance, she impatiently turned around.

Akemi's eyes narrowed when she saw it was Maro. Rubbing his forehead he complained, "Ow! Why'd you stop right in the middle of the street?"

"Why are you always popping up on me? And why were you running in the first place?"

"I was after Jiyou. She took off...somewhere..."

I don't blame her if you were following her!

"I saw her coming from Naruto's house. And then she said something about a... 'relationship'...?"

Oh, no! What idea did she get now? Wait! "RELATIONSHIP!" Akemi screamed. I hope she was only joking. That can't be true...

Directing her attention back to Maro, she told him, "I'm going after Jiyou. You go home! If I catch you following me, I'll perform the Inner Decapitation Jutsu on you!"

Akemi ran off the way Maro had come. She was about to find out that Jiyou, though she couldn't get herself out of the Inner Decapitation Jutsu, was also skilled at putting people into it...

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Jiyou was momentarily dumbfounded. Ack! I have to confront him now? Like this? Her earlier embarassment returned and she felt herself blushing.

Helping Gaara out, she repeated, "Sorry. I thought you were-" She broke off as she saw Akemi approaching.

"Jiyou! There you are! I – oh..." Akemi noticed a slightly dirty Gaara and her sister's warning look – the "I can handle it" look. "Nevermind. I'll see you later." And she walked away as if she hadn't seen a thing. But inwardly she groaned. Jiyou, what did you do now? That girl has some explaining to do!

As Gaara began to walk away, too, Jiyou took a chance and asked, "You didn't happen to see anything between me and Naruto, did you? I mean...was it you in the forest?" She dreaded the answer, although she knew it had been him. Well...If he answers at all...

He turned slightly. "Would it matter if I did? Would it make a difference if I was?"

"Right..." Jiyou paused, trying to piece his answers to her questions. "Bye Gaara!" she called as he disappeared.

From up in a tree, she heard a mocking voice yell, "Bye Gaara! Good riddance, too."

Jiyou didn't have to look up to know it was her cousin. "You are such a pain."

Maro jumped down, landing rather ungracefully on his butt. (As mentioned before, he wasn't the best at climbing up – or coming down from – trees.) He quickly got up and shouted, loud enough for anyone to hear, "So...Where's your BOYFRIEND? Shouldn't you be with NARUTO, or are you cheating on him with GA- "

Maro was cut short as he was pulled down. The Inner Decapitation Jutsu. For a moment he had a confused look on his face, which then turned to anger.

Akemi came up and put her hands on her hips. "Sorry, Jiyou. You probably wanted to do that yourself, but I warned him...!" And leaning down, she slapped Maro in the back of the head. "As for you, you baka, would you like another 'great' hairstyle?"

He looked at her hatefully and yelled, "Get me OUT of here right now!"

"Hmph. I don't see why we should. I say we leave him here. Let him get himself out," sneered Jiyou, most definitely not feeling forgiving.

The two siblings began to walk away...Until Akemi turned around and decided to give Maro a cone-shaped hairdo. They snickered nastily as they ran off.

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"So...I take it Gaara is still kind of...a loner," Akemi assumed, seeing her sister's depressed expression.

"Yeah...I don't know what to do..." Jiyou sighed.

"Sorry, can't help you there." Akemi remembered her own "predicament." "But I think you have a long story to tell..."

Jiyou told her briefly. Afterwards, Akemi looked at her, "You did all that for me, because I was pouting? Wow...I guess I really have to think up a way to help you now..."

"But we didn't solve your problem yet."

"I thinks it's...ok..."

Jiyou tried to hide her doubtful expression, but Akemi saw it. "Fine, so it's not completely ok..." Why are guys so hard to understand?

"At least I can guess where Gaara is most of the time...I'll try to find him during some of our stupid 'missions.'"

Akemi smirked at her sister's philosophy of how to get a guy's attention. "So, he did see you with Naruto?"

"Yeah. Grrrr! Why did I have to pull the jutsu on him?"

"Because Maro's a terrible tracker and Gaara's...always nearby."

She has a point. He is always nearby. I wonder if he likes...No. Maybe he just knows trouble follows me everywhere and wants to watch me get out of sticky situations. "Hey Akemi..."

"Hmmm?"

"Why are you bothered by Gaara? You're always so...tense when you see him."

Same with Sasuke, actually... Akemi thought. "I don't know. He's a bit...scary...considering everything. I don't know how you can look past all that."

Jiyou looked thoughtful. Akemi changed the subject. "We should probably be more concerned about Maro. He's still all alone. Someone might hurt him..."

Jiyou laughed at her sister's teasing. "What? Do you feel guilty?"

"No. Do you?"

"Nope," replied Jiyou as both walked into their house.

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